Beehives in Parry Sound are seeing more bear encounters this year

Bears have been attacking beehives in the Parry Sound area.

Last week, one local beekeeper had his hive attacked on two consecutive nights.  Canadore College West Parry Sound Campus Manger Peter Istvan says because of the second bear visit, it doesn’t look like the hive will survive.

Istvan says the beekeeper who had one of his hives destroyed says he’s never seen this amount of bears in town.

He says the bears aren’t actually looking for honey when they attack a beehive.

The lack of natural food for bears this year has caused them to be more aggressive in their search.  The Parry Sound Community Apiary located at Canadore College also had a close call last week as one of their four hives was knocked over, but not damaged.

Bear encounters with beehives have been reported in Parry Sound, Gravenhurst, and Bracebridge.